True Writer Pen Collection - So Far

[donnweinberg]

On 6/14/2024 at 9:18 PM, Carguy said:

I’m betting that Steve Leveen is mostly retired now with this new CEO they have. Their customer service has become atrocious and high shipping prices for some of the SLOWEST shipping ever! I’ve been a Levenger fan for years, they are giving me repeated reasons to not be a fan any longer .

 

Hi, Carguy.  Leveen is retired now, according to the site.  I often wait for a “free shipping” offer when I can.  I have built up lots of points, which can be used to reduce purchase cost.  However, the most you can use at any one time gets you $40 off.  “At any one time,” however, means “in any one order.”  Recently, I submitted separate orders the same day, and I was able to use more than one "$40 off" with points.  The kicker, however, is that to get free shipping based on order size, each separate order has to reach the applicable threshold for free shipping.  Therefore, to maximize the use of points and get free shipping with each order, you need to order (perhaps) more than you really want.  I haven’t had to use Customer Service, so I can’t comment on that point, at least based on my own experience.

[Carguy]

I ordered a LeBeuof from Levenger today and used some accumulated points and free shipping. I then looked at my True Writer collection and was noticing that I don’t write with them currently but I was sure tempted by some of their new colors.

[Misfit]

The Purple Majesty True Writer arrived today. The pen description mentioned it was new, unused. 
 

[Carguy]

20 hours ago, Misfit said:

The Purple Majesty True Writer arrived today. The pen description mentioned it was new, unused. 
 

Now that is a PRETTY pen!

[Misfit]

@Carguy thank you very much. I remember when it was originally on sale at Levenger along with the Teal Appeal pen. 

[inkstainedruth]

On 9/13/2024 at 10:31 PM, Misfit said:

The Purple Majesty True Writer arrived today. The pen description mentioned it was new, unused. 
 

w

Wow!  What a pretty pen! 

Let us know how well it writes!  What's the nib on it?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Misfit]

The True Writer Purple Majesty was retired in 2013. I was lucky to find this one that was listed as new. I trust the seller.

 

Here is a writing sample on Iroful paper.  It’s the dotted side, and the reverse side is blank. 
 

[Misfit]

After looking at the True Writer history thanks to the links provided, I’ve begun to wonder about two True Writers I bought on eBay. The listings did not include the color names, and the photos were inaccurate. 
 

I thought they were Oceanic Gray and Oceanic Blue. After looking at the images on the History page, they could also be Silver Seas and Blue Delft. The gray one I have has little flecks of blue, light purple, orange. 
 

Here is a photo. If anyone owns the four pens I mentioned, would you hazard a guess as to which are mine, please?

[Misfit]

I bid on two auctions for what I believe are True Writer Flourish Frost and Forest. I lost the auction for the Frost pen, and won the Forest green pen. I think I wanted Forest the most since I have the white version from 2000. I’d have liked to have won both. I didn’t set a high enough maximum bid on the Frost TW. 
 

I’ll just keep looking, and maybe some day I’ll get the Frost and Cranberry to go with Forest. 

Edited October 6 by Misfit
Add the some day hopes.

[donnweinberg]

On 10/3/2024 at 9:29 PM, Misfit said:

After looking at the True Writer history thanks to the links provided, I’ve begun to wonder about two True Writers I bought on eBay. The listings did not include the color names, and the photos were inaccurate. 
 

I thought they were Oceanic Gray and Oceanic Blue. After looking at the images on the History page, they could also be Silver Seas and Blue Delft. The gray one I have has little flecks of blue, light purple, orange. 
 

Here is a photo. If anyone owns the four pens I mentioned, would you hazard a guess as to which are mine, please?

 

After comparing your photos with mine (not shown on this thread), I’m inclined to think that you have the Silver Seas and the Blue Delft, as you suspect.

[Misfit]

Thank you @donnweinberg it goes to show what you have said before, that Levenger uses colorways more than once. The water lilies from earlier looks like the more recent Sea and Sky, and Java with the gold trim is similar to Cappuccino with the silver trim. 

[mge01park]

Thrilled to have found this thread. I've been a Levenger addict since about 1996. I would drive to the Delray Beach store weekly until it closed up and then the nearby mall in Boca Raton. I bought many of my higher-end pens there at that time and enjoyed all the people working there. I started collecting TWs at inception and have too many to count. First, I was exclusively FPs but then migrated to the RB a great deal and some BPs for the variance of refills. I love that the G-2 fits the RBs. Over the last 5 years, I went heavily for the TW Select model line which had two sizable releases. The Plumpster was also nice. The Samba with the titanic nib which I think was Stipula and the Stipula collaboration on the Sunrise and Sunset, are all great pens. Also, a big fan of their inks and legal pads which I hoarded over these years as I like the true legal size. Freeleaf is amazing too. I'm a fanatic bring it on. 🙂

[Misfit]

@mge01park wow, so cool to get to shop at the Levenger stores in Florida. I saw their store inside Marshall Field’s, now Macy’s, in Chicago. They had an area, which didn’t have all their products. But it was at least Levenger at retail. 
 

Do you use any of their Circa products?

[mge01park]

Yes I do, I use the Circa leather letter foldover notebooks and the Jotlets. The Delray warehouse store which was part of the HQ’s was amazing, whatever you wanted they’d go back and get it for you, then they would have the warehouse sales which were a few times per year. The good old days. 

[Carguy]

I went to the store in Chicago years ago, and I found it had closed on my last trip over the summer. When I lived in Memphis, I used to be able to pick up my eBay orders at their warehouse. I also have hoarded their freeleaf pads and various products over the years to the point that I have almost everything I could ever need or want.

[Misfit]

@Carguy thank you for the update on the former Chicago store. When I was there, it had an area in what I recall as being surrounded by clothing or luggage.  

[Misfit]

What do any of you who own the ballpoint version of the True Writer think of it?  
 

I noticed one in Cafe au Lait.  I’d rather have it in a fountain pen, so I could wait and keep searching.  But if anyone really likes the TW ballpoint, please tell me about it. And does it take ink replacements you really like?

[Misfit]

On 10/6/2024 at 4:29 PM, mge01park said:

Yes I do, I use the Circa leather letter foldover notebooks and the Jotlets. The Delray warehouse store which was part of the HQ’s was amazing, whatever you wanted they’d go back and get it for you, then they would have the warehouse sales which were a few times per year. The good old days. 

I have two letter size Circa notebooks, one Junior size, and one Jotlet.  My first one was a two color version, so no pockets. It is either Sunset or Pumpkin, and it came with a pocket insert since there were no cover pockets. Then I got the Bomber Jacket Junior. The most recent is a Letter size in cobalt bookcloth. The Jotlet is the pink camo that looks like ice cream colors. I haven’t really used the Junior version and the bookcloth Letter size. I just wanted a bookcloth cover. I keep thinking I’ll have special reasons to use them. 
 

My brother got me a tote with outside pockets that came with some extra goodies inside it. It had a full size pad with perpetual calendar, pen, pocket magnifier cards, and stickers. He got it at the Chicago store. 
 

I did order the Circa starter kit that cost $40. At the time it came with a $40 gift card. I kept the Junior size, and gave the Letter size to a friend. It had compact size paper, so I eventually got a compact Circa in a special request version.  I’m good at buying notebooks, and not using them. 

[mge01park]

@Misfiti have several of the TW BPs. I like them as they’re a twist mechanism and they take my favorite refills which are the Monteverde (Parker style) Gel in broad in the blue-black (also black and blue). 

[mge01park]

I also bought that $40 Circa kit for the freebie but haven’t used it. I have the Circa letter size book in eggplant and forest green. I use both for different things. I have several Jotlets not all leather.